Inverell Man Escapes Jail for Cruelty to Puppies

An Inverell man escaped jail after he was found guilty of animal cruelty against his 10 dogs and six puppies, which resulted in two of them being euthanized.

RSPCA New South Wales circulated the images of the dogs and pups to the media on October 19, showing the extent of the cruelty and resulting recovery of the dogs.

According to RSPCA, 60-year-old Peter Bruce Hatcher was convicted of animal cruelty in July but appealed the decision and his jail time was revoked due to his age, with the appellate judge instead deciding to fine Hatcher $12,100 and banning him from owning more than six dogs for five years.

In April, RSPCA inspectors were tipped off to the breeder’s dogs and their poor condition. Inspectors found the Cavalier King Charles dogs and pups were suffering from skin and eye diseases.

One puppy had to be euthanized due to its poor condition and the breeder stated that two of its littermates had already died and he had not sought medical treatment. Another dog with a ruptured eye was also euthanized.